Saudi novice undergraduate nursing students' perception of satisfaction and self-confidence with high-fidelity simulation: A quantitative descriptive study

Abstract

Introduction: High-fidelity simulation (HFS) has recently been used for undergraduate nursing students to simplify their learning. The aim of the current study was to explore Saudi novice nursing students perceptions of satisfaction and self-confidence with HFS and to determine if there is any correlation between participants' demographic characteristics and satisfaction and self-confidence learning scale. Methods: A descriptive quantitative study was performed to recruit Saudi participants through Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission (SACM). Data were collected over a 3-month period from February, 2017 to May, 2017 through online survey was posted on SACM's official Facebook page. The survey used the Student Satisfaction and Self-Confidence in Learning tool. A total of (n = 76) Saudi undergraduate nursing students were participated. Data were analyzed using SPSS. Results: The findings revealed that satisfaction and self-confidence had a high mean score which indicates that the majority of the students were satisfied and self-confidence with the HFS experience. No significant correlations were found between the demographic characteristics and student satisfaction and self-confidence except that those who are in the prelicensure program had a significantly higher satisfaction score (P = 0.03) than students who had a bachelor or other degrees. Furthermore, a strong correlation between students' satisfaction and self-confidence in learning was found (P < 0.0001) indicating that these factors were correlated. Conclusions: This study has further confirmed that satisfaction and self-confidence are associated with the HFS experience. HFS prepare novice nursing students for real-life experience and promote the transition to a professional career. Nurse educators should be trained in the use of simulation as a teaching strategy. In addition, nursing faculty needs to consider students perception about the simulation when designing, performing, and evaluating.